Republicans Draft Bill to Cut Medicaid Rolls

House and Senate Republicans plan to unveil legislation Tuesday that would allow states to cut Medicaid enrollment, the latest effort to contain the swelling costs for the health care program for the poor.

The bill would lift a law that says states can’t cut Medicaid spending without losing matching money from Washington to run the program. A dozen Republicans, led by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) and Rep. Phil Gingrey (R., Ga.), have signed on. (Click here for the Republicans’ summary of the legislation.)

The recent debate over how to lower Medicaid costs has centered on a proposal by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), who wants to convert Medicaid into a grant program. The federal government would give states lump sums to run the program with fewer rules on how they can spend it. But privately, most Republicans — and Democrats — agree such a change is not likely to get put into law. So they’re focusing on less drastic measures that would allow states to trim their Medicaid budgets…